


a ring is a smaller sort of garland

by raccooninvestigator



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Fictober 2019, Fluff, Multi, No Beta, No Spoilers, Polyamory, just drabble and wholesome content
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-01
Updated: 2019-10-01
Packaged: 2020-11-09 11:08:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 773
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20852441
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/raccooninvestigator/pseuds/raccooninvestigator
Summary: Jasmine's meaning varies by place and culture, but it often symbolizes love, beauty or sensuality. Its pure white blossoms can also symbolize purity. Because the small, unassuming white flowers bloom at night with such a powerful scent, jasmine sometimes symbolizes the value of modesty.





	a ring is a smaller sort of garland

The soil was cool under his touch. Damp from a recent watering, making the heat from the summer sun almost, though not quite bearable. If frigid Fhirdiad was his purgatory, one might assume the boiling and sluggish air of the greenhouse to be hell. At first, Dedue had thought that might be true. But now? It was his paradise.

The soft scent of jasmine lingered in his nose as he pruned back the overgrowth at the base of the trellis. Cutting back the new branches allowed the plant to focus on growing more blossoms, which he then could harvest with the nuns as they continued to come to life. He held one tiny flower in his hand, no larger than his thumbnail, pale as the snows of Duscur. It could become a beautiful incense some day, offered up to the goddess of Garreg Mach and her saints. Instead, he pinched a few small stems, pulling a trio of flowers with him.

The flowers, kindly, said nothing as he tucked the precious plant into his breast pocket. Dedue straightened, feeling every muscle in his back call for a break, and idly flipped the shears in his hand. If it was just about dinner time now, he could count on Dimitri being with Felix and Sylvain just a little longer, which gave him about fifteen minutes before he needed to…

Dedue gave a soft nod to chief gardener as he packed up the supplies he’d used that day, before stepping outside once more. After the intensity of the greenhouse, the weather was a relief. Some of the students sat with their feet in the fish pond, cooling off in what little ways they could; Flayn led the way to splash in while chasing after what she clearly hoped would be dinner. She looked up, laughing, and waved at him, and Dedue shyly smiled back, before making his way toward the dorms.

Mercedes and Ashe lounged under the shade of a tree, right where he’d expected them to be. They were lost in a discussion about baked goods, Ashe trying desperately to understand the finer points of making meringue while Mercedes emphatically mimed the process to him. His eyes were as wide as the moon, full of awe at the very idea of the sweet peaks of egg whites forming in his mind. For a moment, his mouth hung open, as if desperate to savor the taste of the currently fictitious cookies. It made Dedue smile, then chuckle as he sat down beside them.

Mercedes reached out to squeeze his hand, turning the chatter to include him. Dedue listened quietly, as the discussion turned to more concrete plans on what to make for the professor’s birthday later this month. Dedue’s focus was elsewhere, on three little vines in his hands, and on how delicate they were compared to his thick fingers. Clumsily, he fiddled with them, threading the stems around each other, forming a small hoop on each one. It was Mercedes who first noticed what he was doing, reaching out gently.

“May I?” she asked, and he nodded. Her lithe hands were much more deft, and she fixed up the clumsy knotwork Dedue had done in no time at all, holding three small rings in her lap. The jasmines breathed their gentle scent on them all, and Ashe looked at them with gentle awe.

“In Duscur,” he murmured, taking both of them by the hand, “Jasmines symbolise the purity of love. The nuns would never let me have enough for garlands, but…” Dedue trailed off, eyes on the little rings he had made with Mercedes help.

“Oh, friend…” Mercedes whispered, reaching again for Dedue’s hand, holding it this time.

“I think rings are just as suitable!” Ashe chimed, reaching for a ring. “These are lovely Dedue. You outdo yourself every time, you know?”

Ashe slipped the largest ring onto Dedue’s pinky, as Mercedes placed one on Ashe’s free hand. Dedue guided the last onto Mercie’s hand. Ashe giggled, a faint blush growing beneath his freckles.

“You’re both amazing. I love you so much!” declared Ashe, rising up, twirling and staring at the ring on his hand.

“Same,” Mercedes agreed, eyes shining as she watched their prancing friend. “Promise we’ll be friends forever?”

Dedue felt his cheeks glowing red as he nodded, standing up to try and hide his embarrassment. Mercedes reached for them again, and the two boys helped her up. The three held hands, and for the first time in a long time, Dedue allowed himself the luxury of imagining a life where he was more than the sword of shield of His Highness.

**Author's Note:**

> It's Deduetober AND Fictober which means it's time to be wholesome, fam.
> 
> Prompt 1. Pre-timeskip; ring


End file.
